Gemini Saga/Pisces Aphrodite
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Aphrodite/Saga |
| Alternative name(s): | Sagadite, Ditesaga, ♊ ♓, アフロサガ, サガアフロ, 撒布 |
| Gender category: | m/m |
| Fandom: | Saint Seiya |
| Canonical?: | no |
| Prevalence: | rarepair |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sagadite is a slash pairing between Gemini Saga and Pisces Aphrodite from Saint Seiya. They are shipped because of Aphrodite's great loyalty to Saga and how their ideals align. In the original series, Aphrodite refuses to betray Saga, even if it means his death. In the original anime, Saga mentions Aphrodite being the most beautiful Saint out of 88 Saints.
In some video games of the franchise, they share some original scenes together, as well as in the spinoff Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho which digs a little deeper into the source material. In the video game Saint Seiya Awakening, Aphrodite says about Saga: "A rose will never leave the soil that made it bloom."
In the PS3 video game Saint Seiya: Soldier's Soul, they star in a cutscene where Saga apologizes for dragging him to the side of evil, to which Aphrodite replies that he has nothing to apologize for because everything he did was his own will. Controlling the character of Aphrodite, the two of them speak to each other in soft, tender voices.
In Season 3 of Crunchyroll's Knights of the Zodiac, Aphrodite mentions the Pope's thorny beauty twice, like that of a rose. His loyalty to Saga shown in his eagerness to end the invasion of Sanctuary as quickly as possible. In episode 6, he says that Saga is enigmatic, but that is precisely what makes him beautiful. Saga trusted Aphrodite with the information about having used a mind control technique on Aiolia, as Aphrodite was excited to see Aiolia fight while possessed.
Fandom
Saga and Aphrodite aren't two characters that have shared much screentime together. Despite this, some fans have been attracted to the dynamics of their relationship as pope of the Sanctuary in disguise and one of the only persons who know his secret. This kind of mutual trust combined to how unexplored is their bond in canon has a lot of potential to delve into in fanworks.
Sagadite Day has been designated for December 3rd, a symbolic choice that aligns Gemini, the third astrological sign, with Pisces, the twelfth, mirroring the twelfth month of the year. In 2023, a Sagadite Weekend was held from 2nd to 3rd of December.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- Angst: Because they both die in canon, many stories focus on the feelings of loss and grief of the characters. The fact that Saga has a dark, evil side also contributes to the amount of angst available.
- Fix-It: Often paired up with resurrection or reincarnation rather than canon divergence AU to give them a happy ending.
- Loyalty Kink: Because in canon Aphrodite decides to side with him despite knowing his true identity, while for Saga, he's one of his only allies that isn't controlled by lies.
- Smut: The headcanons about it are varied. For some fans Aphrodite is the top, for others Saga is the top and there are those who don't have a specific preference and imagine them versatile.
- Fluff: Canon implies they were many years living close to each other, so there are a lot of oportunities to fill those gaps.
- Hurt/Comfort: Also laced with fluff. Saga's battle against himself, all his guilt and troubles for the things his evil side does and finding comfort in Aphrodite's arms.
- Flowers: Since Aphrodite fights with roses, flowers are often mentioned or drawn.
- Secret Relationship: The fact that Aphrodite is the only one that knows who the real Pope is makes it perfect for this trope.
- Ares/Aphrodite (the olympian gods) symbology. Saga has been possessed by Ares before and him and the goddess Aphrodite are canonical lovers.
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
In English
- in the moonlight by Ryoken - An example of hurt/comfort.
- Sweet Comfort by DrabblingSparks - Fluffy short story and pillowtalk.
- Cookies and Cream by Anonymous - An AU where no one dies and no one is evil written for Pocky Day 2021
- To Dethorn a Rose by Spieluhrenwelt - An example of smut angsty piece with Saga at his worst.
- Saga's Alchemilla Mollis by Joesally
- The Fall by BloomLuciferase - Brief character study about what Saga and Aphrodite mean to each other.
- Purity by Taichara - drabble, it's Gen instead of romantic but focuses on Aphrodite's loyalty to Saga, which is one of his most characteristic traits.
- A Kiss from a Rose on the Grey by et velata - Saga's character study and how Aprodite interacts with his duality.
In Other Languages
(As Saint Seiya is much more popular in non English-Speaking fandoms, it is easier to find fanworks in other languages rather than English)
- Devoção by Melbronte (Portuguese)
- Love Me Like You Do by SerenityElian - An example of reincarnation fix-it AU. (Portuguese)
- A Medida do Poder by Northernstar - Canon compliant, hurt/comfort (Portuguese)
- A Medida do Sonho by Northernstar - Fluffy and light angst (Portuguese)
- Te Echo de Menos by Xilonen - Aphrodite's thoughts on Arles, Saga's evil side (Spanish)
- Double Heart by Pale_Soul - Example of the duality of Gemini applied to the ship (Spanish)
- Perfecto by Daga_Saar - Ficlet about Aphrodite's reaction after Shion's death (Spanish)
- Rosas en el balcón by Katapixes - Oneshot abou the two Sagas and their feelings for Aphrodite. (Spanish)
- La flor más bella del jardín by Pheseans - Only example of canon-compliant Sagadite fanfic inspired on the movie Legend of Sanctuary, where Saga kills Aphrodite (Spanish)
- 只做不爱 Love you more than I can say by Bittersweet_MM - Aphrodite-centric longfic about the Gold Saints moving on and trying to live an ordinary life as best as they can after peace returns to Earth. Romance, drama and some smut. (Chinese)
- 花期 The Seasons by Leafbean_0696 - Flowershop AU and meet cute. (Chinese)
- Umano e Divino (giustizia e ingiustizia) by Aphrodite - Saga's reaction to Aphrodite's death and Bronze Saints victories. (Italian)
- Ядовитая роза by Belitruin - Aphrodite's character study and the nature of his relationship with Saga. (Russian)
Doujinshi
- Preserved Roses (2015)
- Bedtime Corridor (2017)
- Until You II (2015)
Fanart
- Until You, Archived version, a fanbook cover featuring the couple by Leenuay (2015)
- HBH, Archived version by 快樂腦洞 (2020)
Gallery
By stinkfight
Example of a depiction of a secret relationship between them. By Cassandra de Piscis
Date and artist unknown
Snapshot of otome Gold Saints fangame. Sagadite ending.
Vids and AMVs
- Fan animation in the style of Patalliro date and author unknown
- Saga x Aphrodite AMV by 798June -- Song: "Una rosa blu" by Michele Zarcillo (April 2012)
- Zoisite's death, Sagadite version by SaintGayer -- Saga and Aphrodite share voice actors with Kunzite/Zoisite from Sailor Moon. This inspired to this video using scenes from Saint Seiya and the audio from Zoisite's death.
Links & Resources
- Pisces Aphrodite/Gemini Saga tag on AO3
- Sagadite tag on Ffnet
- Sagadite (撒布#) on Weibo
- Sagadite on Shipping Wiki
- Sagadite Weekend account on Twitter - it also shares all kinds of posts Sagadite related